Hello- I am new on this but am so happy to be able to have others who understand so I have some questions..
I am curious to what others have done to prepare for this surgery- I am getting it in less than 2 weeks at Regions in Minneapolis MN with Dr. Mendez. Any advice to go into it the best way? Maybe what to expect those next few days and what to do for recovery? I have been reading others discussions on similar things, but would like any advice to how to prepare myself for this surgery and what to expect-
I know it does depend but I think it may help to prepare as much as possible and reduce my anxiety so anything would be helpful! Thank you!
thank you thats helpful! So eating at christmas might be a problem you think? Also, how long do you stay in the hospital as I know it varies but just curious what others stay was?
I was cleared by physical therapy and occupational therapy and got to go home the day after surgery. I had no trouble with eating or anything. I just got tired really easily so make sure to rest up afterward!
To prepare I cut my hair really short so I wouldn’t have to deal with it. It saved time taking baths which was hard for me and it wasn’t in my face when I was in bed. And my stay in the hospital was 4 days. Best of luck with your surgey. You will be in my thoughts.
Just remember to stay positive and be strong about this experience. Anything i say i dont want to scare you, my experience was more complicated then some. I had a 16 hour long surgery. I was in the ICU for 1 week and then i was moved to a private room to finish recovery. I had a really hard time with breathing in this whole process. They had to do a tracheotomy on me beacuse my airways were really difficult to get through. They measured my neck n head for a halo, however after the surgery i didn't need one. For 7 of the 10 days that i was in the hospital , i don't remember what went on because i was so heavily medicated. The day i was release they finally took the trach out of my neck. i was sent home with the feeding tube in my nose, I had the tube in for 5 1/2 months. Surgery itself is so scary but we really don't have an option , we have to take the risk. Overall, it took me a little over 2 years to recover and start to feel somewhat normal. I will be praying for you. Stay strong, i look forward to hearing from you after your surgery and when yu are feeling up to it , tell us about your experience. It is such a big help to have the support from people that truly can say i know what you are going through and really understand. if you need to talk im here just message me ok. Good luck on your surgery.
thank you all for your responses and I know it will be probably a different experience for me as well but it is nice to hear others that have gone through it. I know it will be a tough part in my life, but necessary to do and will overcome. Any advice for me going back to school middle of january to finish my college degree? I am going to see what happens but really want to finish the remaining credits I have. Thanks again everyone and I will try my best to update everyone as my surgery is a week away!
If your worried about keeping your GPA high I would consider skipping a quarter. I was supposed to be going back for winter but am very glad I decided to wait. The going to class thing will be the most difficult in my opinion. I am still dealing with nausea and headaches and do not think I could study efficiently. I will be returning in fall but a temporary break might be a good idea. At almost 4 weeks post opp, I am just now beginning to think I am ready for school again. I would say 6 weeks until you go back to school but that's on a case by case situation.
One thing I was not told about was the chance of contracting meningitis. You need to keep a close eye out for the first week. If you get a fever, make sure to go to the dr as I waited a little to long to go back. Lumbar punctures hurt, if you have scoliosis like myself, make sure to request with flouroscope. They get in the first time. They tried 8 times manually before using flouroscope. That was more painful than the surgery all together. The first two weeks you need a lot of help. Most people I have talked with had major improvements after the first 2 weeks as well as myself. Remember you cannot lift much weight after surgery so if you have kids, you need to plan for this. Hope your surgery goes great! It will get a lot better, just keep saying that as it does get better.
One last thing, eating problems are different with everyone. I had surgery one week before Thanksgiving and had no problems eating t-day dinner. As long as the food was not spicy, I did not have many problems. Take a nausea pill one hour before eating and you shouldn't have many problems. I did not like the first nausea meds and was switched to ondansetron which completely fixed my stomach problems. Good luck
I hear you about finishing school... I have 15 credits left before graduating. I am still waiting on a neurosurgeon to figure out what needs to happen but I know right now I would flunk out the first week. I'd say focus on recovery, you have something like five years to finish a degree program, I think. Talk to your advisors and get better before worrying about your degree!
Okay, thank you all for your advice and as I am in a place of wanting to see what happens but hoping to finish as there is not much I have left and my professors and advisers are very supportive and willing to make it easiest for me. I have many options I have to consider. I am getting anxious as I am only a few days away and it is really hard to understand how to feel or what to think. I am excited, nervous, scared and just know this will be a use change and experience in my life.
If possible hold off making the decision til after surgery, especially if your professors are willing to work with you. Everyone is different so you may end up having an easier recovery than most in which case you could probably return to school with the some help. I know when I was in college I ended up having my gallbladder removed and a tonsillectomy and luckily my professors let me do a lot of work from home.
I will say that one thing that surprised me regarding "what to bring to the hospital" was that the hospital didn't want you bringing anything to the hospital! I had packed a bag kind of as if I were going to a hotel (minus valuables, which I know are not recommended in general), but when I told the hospital about this, they said that they didn't want me bringing anything except maybe underwear and pajama bottoms. They said they would have toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo, etc. They also said they would have me in a hospital gown the whole time, so the underwear/pajamas was only for my comfort. The hospital even provided me with all of my pre-operative daily medications, so I didn't even need to bring those with me! The only other items I ended up bringing were my cell phone (and a charger), chapstick, and hand lotion. I also had to have my husband run out and get me some Anbesol for my mouth because the breathing tube they used for me during surgery caused some damage to my mouth and gave me a dime-sized canker sore and the hospital didn't have anything to treat that.
So, you may bring what you want, but you really don't need much (nor is there much space to store anything), and the hospital does take great care of you!
I only experienced nausea/vomiting the first 24 hours and have felt perfectly fine ever since. Although everyone is different, Emily we will pray that you are just fine to eat Christmas dinner. :)
I know your surgery is tmw, my thoughts are with you. I am 5 days post op, home and resting. I too plan to return to college and start another semester in January (thats why I chose to do it over Christmas break). Surgery went great, (one night in ICU, one on a neuro floor and OUT!) but watch the constipation thing from the meds--that can really be a bugger!. Although I'm not sure what symptoms will disappear yet from the Chiari, I'm eager to get my life back and be a "normal" college student. My incision is longer than I thought, but my Chiari was 29mm. My brothers call me "zipper-head" because of the 27 staples, but my Dr didn't shave off too much hair, so I can cover it up without a problem (didn't cut my hair short before surgery). All the best to you, and I look forward to hearing how it goes.
Hi Emily, You have gotten some really great responses.
These are links where other Members asked how to best prepare for surgery. You will get a lot of great tips out of these.
I will stress the importance of stool softeners. Chap Stick, sleep pants & cozy socks & slippers. Please make sure you aren't alone after you go home until you are comfortable staying alone. Take your medication exactly as prescribed. Call your Neurosurgeon or whoever is on call if you have any questions. That is their job and no question is too small. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself to heal. Do not lift anything over a few lbs. Stay hydrated. Have healthy snacks & easy meals. You may not feel like eating but protein helps to heal. Yogurt is great & will help the good bacteria in your digestive system. Everyone has a different experience & length of hospital stay. I know closer to surgery time you will get nervous and scared, please come tell us. We truly understand.
